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TRAVIS COUNTY
EMERGENCY SERVICES DISTRICT No. 2
TCESD#2 adopted a fire code
district-wide in May 2001. The fire code being
utilized by
the district is the 2003 International Code. The following
is a breakdown for submitting plans for the review
and inspection process:
Plan Review
Application
for Plan Review (Download)
REQUEST
FOR INSPECTION (Download)
1. Submit, and pay all associated fees for subdivision,
site, and building plans, including remodels, to TCESD#2
at 203 E. Pecan in Pflugerville*. Alarm and sprinkler
plans must
be submitted for review if applicable.
* If you are submitting plans for review within the City of Pflugerville you
must submit your plans to the City of Pflugerville.
Inspections
TCESD#2 will conduct inspections throughout the construction
phase. Most inspection fees are covered in the review
process; however, there are some associated fees that
will need to be paid prior to inspection. A complete
breakdown of our fee schedule is as follows:
Plan Review Fee Schedule
Subdivision
Plan **
|
$100.00 per section/phase |
Site Plan **
|
$100.00 |
Existing
Building Re-model **
|
$100.00 |
Fire
Alarm Plan **
Acceptance Test for Fire Alarm
|
$100.00
$45.00 per Bldg. |
Paint Booths **
|
$100.00 |
Hood System **
Acceptance Test for Hood System |
$100.00
$45.00 |
Fire Sprinkler
Plan **
Acceptance Test for
Fire Sprinkler Plan
|
$300.00
$100.00 per floor/ riser Bldg. |
New Building
Plan **
|
$100.00 + $0.10/Sq. Ft. |
New Building
Shell Only **
|
$100.00 + $0.05/Sq. Ft. |
New Building
Finish Out **
|
$100.00 + $0.05/Sq. Ft. |
| Note: **Inspections
that require a fee before scheduling are limited
to
two failures.
After the second inspection failure, the submitting
party must re-submit and pay
all applicable fees associated with the inspection. |
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT
OUTDOOR BURNING
This information is provided for all persons in Travis County Emergency Services
District No. 2, including the City of Pflugerville, Wells Branch MUD, Northtown
MUD, and other areas that are within the District. In recent years outdoor
burning has come under great scrutiny because of damage to the environment
and harmful effects on humans that are sensitive to smoke and other pollutants
from fire.
Persons wishing to conduct an outdoor burn should
be aware of State and Local Regulations that apply
to outdoor burning. State Requirements are addressed
in a document entitled “Outdoor Burning in Texas”,
published by the Texas Commission on Environmental
Quality, (formerly the Texas Natural Resources Conservation
Commission). This information can be accessed online
at www.tceq.state.tx.us and searching under available
publications. Local requirements for the Emergency
Services District are covered in the 2003 International
Fire Code, Section 307. A copy of the International
Fire Code is available for review purposes at the Pflugerville
Library or at the Central Fire Station. Within the
City of Pflugerville, Chapter 91.01A of the Code of
Ordinances also applies. Any or all three of these
regulations may apply to an outdoor burn in Travis
County Emergency Services District No. 2.
Outdoor burning is allowed by state and local requirements
when it is used solely for recreational or ceremonial
purposes; in the noncommercial preparation of food,
or exclusively as a means to provide warmth in cold
weather. In other words, campfires and cooking fires
are allowed. However, fires built under this exception
cannot contain any electrical insulation, treated lumber,
plastics, construction, or demolition materials not
made of wood, heavy oils, asphalted materials, explosive
materials, chemical wastes, or items containing natural
or synthetic rubber
Other than as provided above, outdoor burning is generally
prohibited in the State of Texas. This is governed
by state law and local ordinances cannot supercede
this requirement. The State does however, provide for
a limited number of exceptions. Even if a situation
fits all of the requirements for one of the state exceptions,
there are a number of conditions which must be met.
The most common exception(s) to regulations against
outdoor burning in our area come under the general
topic of “Fires for Disposal or Land Clearing”. Specifics
for each type of fire will not be addressed here. Those
specifics are referenced in the “Outdoor Burning in
Texas” booklet published by the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality. Considerations for maintenance
and land clearing as stipulated by the Texas Commission
on Environmental Quality are as follows.
“Trees, brush, and other plant growth may be
burned to maintain right of ways, clear land, or maintain
the banks of water canals where there is no practical alternative
and when the materials are generated only from the property
on which the burning occurs. Burning carried out under
this exception must conform with all of the general requirements
for outdoor burning and may not produce adverse effects
for structures containing sensitive receptors – for example,
occupied buildings, barns or greenhouses.”
The following are general requirements apply to outdoor
burning that is allowed under the exception as stated
above.
1. The Texas Forest Service must be notified before
carrying out any prescribed burn or controlled burn
that is intended as forest management.
2. Burning may only be started or continued when the
wind direction and other weather conditions are such
that smoke and other pollutants will not present a
hazard to any public road, landing strip, or navigable
water; or have an adverse effect on any off-site structure
containing sensitive receptors.
3. Someone must be posted to flag traffic if at any
time the burning causes or may tend to cause smoke
to blow onto or across a road or highway.
4. Fires must be downwind of or at least 300 feet
away from any neighboring structure that contains sensitive
receptors. This requirement is waived only with the
prior written approval of whoever owns or rents the
adjacent property and either resides or conducts business
there.
5. Burning must not begin any earlier than one hour
after sunrise, and must end the same day no later than
one hour before sunset. Burns may not be started unless
weather conditions are appropriate for smoke to dissipate,
(that is winds must be at least 6 miles per hour; with
no temperature inversions), and that the fire is controllable,
(winds no faster than 23 miles per hour). A responsible
person must be present while the burn is active and
fire is in progress. At the end of the burn, residual
fire or smoldering objects must be extinguished.
6. No electrical insulation, treated lumber, plastics,
construction or demolition materials not made of wood,
heavy oils, asphalted materials, explosive materials,
chemical wastes, or items that contain natural or synthetic
rubber may be burned under any condition.
Specific and or local requirements pertaining to outdoor
burning within Travis County Emergency Services District
No. 2 include the following.
1. None of the local requirements are intended nor can they be construed to
alleviate or exempt any person from requirements of State Law or Regulation.
2. Any person wishing to conduct an outdoor or open
burn within Travis County Emergency Services District
No. 2 must obtain a permit for the burn from the Fire
Chief, Fire Marshal, or his/her designate.
3. The following procedures will apply:
• The responsible party must submit an application
for a permit to conduct an outdoor burn. The application
is available at the District’s Administrative Office
located at 203 E. Pecan Street, in Pflugerville. Once
the application is complete, it must be returned to
the District Office along with the appropriate fee.
• A fire inspector will contact the responsible party
to verify the request for outdoor burning. The inspector
will conduct a site visit to determine if state and
local requirements can and will be met. If it is determined
that an outdoor burn can be conducted that will satisfy
all state and local requirements, a burn permit will
be issued.
• A burn permit will remain valid for a period of
two weeks from the date of issue. The permit can be
extended for one additional week if the burn cannot
reasonably be completed within the first two week period.
If the responsible party does not conduct the burn
within this period of time, the permit can be canceled
and the permit fee, less a $25.00 processing fee, is
returned to the responsible party.
• The responsible party must agree to have the fire
attended the entire time it is burning. A means to
extinguish the fire, appropriate to the size of the
fire, must be present during the fire.
• The responsible party must contact the fire department
the day prior to lighting the fire. The party will
be advised if conditions are projected to be favorable
to outdoor burning or if the burn is not to be conducted.
• An inspector may visit the open burn site at any
time during the fire or at the ending time of the fire.
If the burn is not being conducted in accordance with
state and local requirements, the fire can be ordered
to be discontinued at that time. The permit for open
burning becomes null and void. There is no refund of
fees.
• The Fire Chief/Fire Marshal may order the fire to be discontinued at any
time if it is determined that emissions are offensive or causing some other
problem to others.
• If a complaint is received from some member of the
public about emissions and it is determined the complaint
is based on sensitivity to emissions, the fire will
be discontinued and the permit will automatically become
null and void.
It is important to remember that any person who conducts outdoor burning within
requirements of state and local regulations is still responsible for any
consequences, damages, or injuries resulting from the burning. No one is
exempted complying with all applicable laws, ordinances, regulations, and
orders of those governmental entities having jurisdiction, even though the
burning is otherwise conducted in compliance with State Regulations. That
means that the responsible party conducting the outdoor burn stands the chance
of being held liable if something does go wrong.
Travis County Emergency Services District No. 2
Pflugerville Fire Department
203 E. Pecan Street
Pflugerville, Texas 78660
Administration: (512) 251-2801
Rev. September 2004
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